Xaver Hellmeier: X-Man in New York

Drummer Xaver (X-Man) Hellmeier has been little known to date outside his native Germany and other European countries. One way to help redress that oversight is to surround oneself with some of the most well-respected and talented musicians on the New York scene, which is what Hellmeir has done on his superb debut album, X-Man in New York. When it comes to choosing sidemen, it is hard to belie the inclusion of trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, pianist David Hazeltine or bassist Peter Washington. The main problem when recruiting musicians of that stature is to avoid being upstaged.

Hellmeier sidesteps that stumbling block by doing what he does best: keeping flawless time and letting his teammates know the X- Man has their back. That does not mean, however, that he simply disappears behind the drum kit. Hellmeier takes the first solo on the album's opening number, Rodgers and Hart's "I Could Write a Book," and shares the spotlight on several other tracks before emptying the entire arsenal on Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson's flag-waving "Tune Up." Pelt and Alexander are their usual persuasive selves throughout, as is Hazeltine, while Washington's plangent bass is a perfect complement to the X-Man's rhythmic artistry.

The session is upbeat and dynamic with two exceptions, Hoagy Carmichael and Ned Washington's ballad "The Nearness of You," which showcases Hazeltine's soulful piano and Washington's walking bass, and Sacha Distel's "The Good Life." Hellmeier wrote a pair of the album's more engaging numbers, "A Night in Verona" and the irrepressible closer, "Blues for JF," a nod to his mentor (and the album's producer), drummer Joe Farnsworth. Walter Booker wrote the sultry "Book's Bossa," Hank Mobley the animated "Advance Notice," Cedar Walton the exuberant "Midnight Waltz." In sum, a superb choice of material.

Which would be to no avail had Hellmeier not enlisted a group of blue-chip musicians to impart his vision. Luckily for the listener, he has done exactly that. Pelt, who plays muted and open, has seldom sounded better, while Alexander maximizes the passion in every solo and Hazeltine displays his admirable chops on every number. Washington pulls his weight, as always, while Hellmeier shows on every number why he should be far better known—a miscue that time will certainly set right. Meanwhile, groove on X-Man in New York, a splendid preamble to what promises to be a long and impressive career.